Imagine our surprise this morning as we were going through our regular routine and figured out that the Oakland Raiders will soon debut the NFL’s only grandmother cheerleader. And here we thought the big news from the Raiderettes this year would be Tony LaRussa’s daughter. Now comes Susie Sanchez. Is NFL fan ready for a grandmother on a sideline shaking her pom poms? We’re about to find out.

News of Sanchez making the team and being a grandmother first dropped way back on May 6 via the Hollister (CA) Pinnacle, but never made it into the blogosphere.

So when it was finally Sanchez’s turn to stand out, finally her chance to at least make somewhat of an impression, she walked onto the stage and said she was 37 years old, a mother of three, and a grandmother of one.

She felt her answer might have drawn the attention of the judges when she saw one perk up. Was it the age? Or the grandmother part?

What was for sure was that it wasn’t the only factor. Sanchez again impressed the judges with her dancing ability, skill and presence later that week – she had been dancing since she was 8, after all – and she can now safely say she is the oldest member of the Raiderettes as well.

“I just started crying,” she said after she heard her number called – lucky No. 45. “It was like, ‘wow.’ I was overwhelmed with emotion … just never give up.

“It’s life changing at that moment.”

Susie was pretty much at the end of her road with this being her fifth Raiderettes tryout in six years. Now she has her very own Raiderettes profile page where we learn that Susie worked in the corporate world for 11 years and now works in sales for a Salinas, CA TV station.

The Oakland Raiders have hired Sanchez, who is a grandmother, to be one of their sideline cheerleaders for the 2011-12 season.

While Susie is technically a grandmother, she might not be cut from the mold that pops in your mind when you hear that word. Susie is 37, a mother of three and grandmother of one, and after multiple auditions to pom-pom it up on the sideline, she finally got the call.

From the Hollister Pinnacle ...

Sanchez again impressed the judges with her dancing ability, skill and presence later that week — she had been dancing since she was 8, after all — and she can now safely say she is the oldest member of the Raiderettes as well.

"I just started crying," she said after she heard her number called — lucky No. 45. "It was like, 'wow.' I was overwhelmed with emotion … just never give up."

While I'm sure a lot of people are currently thinking up their best Al Davis/old jokes, we must point out that Susie isn't the first grandmother to make the cheerleading squad for the Raiders. That honor goes to Kathy Ferrin, who was pinned a Raiderette back in '03-04, but still, a pretty impressive feat considering most cheerleaders barely look old enough to vote.

So congrats to Susie. Many people give up on their dreams long before they hit 30, no matter if that is a basketball player or doctor or even cheerleader, but it seems she's kept trying and finally landed it. While it may seem strange, we can all probably learn a lot from the grandmother in Oakland.

But does this make Susie the oldest cheerleader in the NFL? Sadly, no. That honor rests with the Bengals' Laura Vikmanis, who is 42 and still going strong.